Clutch mechanism for reversing-gearing.



H. A. TUTTLE.

CLUTCH MECHANISM FOR REVERSING GEARING.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-18.1915- Patented Sept. 25, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

jizzyeiz' 7*;

[Z (Mo zgmww; M

H. A. TUTTLE.

CLUTCH MECHANISM FOR BEVERSING GEARING.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I8. I915.

. 1 241 @5? Patented Sept. 25, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

,Za' J.

wimeases:

carica- HENRY A. TUTTLE, F TAUNTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO EVANS STAMPING & PLATING COMPANY, OF TAUNTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA CHUSETTS.

CLUTCH MECHANISM FOR REVERSING-GEABING.

Specification of Letters Patent. v Patented Sept. 25, 1917.

Original application villcd'lllfliay 26', 1911, Serial No. 629,596. Divided and this application filed Iienruary 18, if

1915. Serial No. 9,140.

To all whom c't-may co'ncem:

Be it known that'I, HENRY A. Toma, a citizen of the United States, residin at Taunton, in the county of Bristol and tate of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Clutch Mechanism for Reversing-Gearing, of which the following is a i specification.

the clutch. This formation of the clutch-- plates and driving and driven members is objectionable in that it 'is practically impossible to cut all of the rojections with sufiicient accuracy so that in the clutching operation all of their edges will engage at the same time. This is particularly diflibers likewise of cult when it is considered that if material care is exercised in the formation of these projections and recesses and an exact and accurate fit is secured there is such a resistance between the walls of the projections and recesses as to have a material restraining influence a inst the axial movements of the clutch-p ates, hence interfering with both the operative and inoperative movement of the plates in the clutching operation. To avoid the difliculty described and at the same time provide. for more effectively and accurately constructing the clutch-plates and their" cooperating members it is contemplated to construct the engaging peripheral edges of said plates as of gear-tooth formation, and the cooperating surfaces of the driven and drivmg memgear-tooth formation, that is to say, to provide each element with proand driven mem ers of the clutch,

jections, the contact faces of which have difl'erent curvatures, so that engaging portions extend only for a portion of their length.

By formin the edges of the clutch-plates and the sur aces of the cooperating mem bers with such projections I provide an increasing number of interlocking parts .which enables the employment of very thin plates; and, furthermore, by reason of the rounded or curved faces of the teeth the clutch plates are adapted to be self-centered and the-strain is more equally distributed throughout the entire circumference, and the areas of contact of such faces w1th the walls of the recesses is reduced, as compared with the projections above referred to, and hence the friction tending to prevent movement of, such plates axially is correspondingly reduced. Furthermore, the plates, and the driving and driven-members, which the plates engage, may be easily, quickly and accurately formed, so far as this particular construction is concerned with the usual gear-tooth cutting-machine, and in addition to such convenience the construction will be absolutely uniform one with another and correspondingly accurate.

The formation of the clutch plates and the driving and driven members with projections of gear-tooth formation is a specific embodiment of the present invention, which provides for an interlocking of the parts, while, at the same time, presenting a minimum' area of contact to reduce friction when moving the plates axially. Clutch plates having projections constructed with a view to r ucing the friction between them and th cooperating driving and driven members, is a salient feature of the I sired results. It is tobe understood, howi ever, that the accepted type of gear-tooth is not the only specific arrangement by which the desired results can be accomplished.

Figure 1, represents a longitudinal vertic'al section through a reversing-gearing having a clutch embodying this invention.

Fig. 2, is a transverse section on the line 22, of Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4, are front elevations respectively of the two different forms of this connection. For a better understand-' ing of the drawings, however, a represents the driving-shaft and e the driven-shaft.

Connected in any desired or appropriate manner with the driven-shaft e is what may be termed the driven clutch-member, here shown as a collar or ring 44, secured by Woodruff keys to the hub .03 of an an-' nular gear d, which is secured to the drivenshaft. A similar clutch-member is connected to the driving-shaft so that it may be operated thereby continuously, here shown as the cylindrical case 7, of the pinion-carrier whlch is connected with the drivingshaft. This connection may be through the medium of reversing-gearing direct, or in any preferred way. The res t of operating these respective clutch-members will have specific relation to their own particular shafts so that when means are provided for interconnecting said members motion will be transmitted from one shaft to the other, as is usual in clutches of this type.

The present invention deals with the clutch-plates 47 and 48, which are arranged between the respective members and dc-- signed to form the means whereby said members may be connected to transmit movement from the driving to the driven shaft or freed from such connection to permit the driven shaft to remain at rest, and with the clutch-members d and f disenga g ed. he clutch-plates 47 and 48 of which there may be any desired number, are constructed in the form of annular members having inner and outer peripheral edges. 'The faces of the clutch-plates are specifically constructed so that when forced into close contact or en agement their surfaces will act as friction binders or in other words the plates are mounted for axial movement and when forced together. constitute in efiect a single element, as is usual in clutches of this type. Certain of the platesare formed onv their inner peripheral edges with interlockingprojections 49, and certain of the plates are formed on theirouter peripheral edges with corresponding interlocking projections 52. The plates having the inner projections are smooth on their outer edges while those 'having the outer projections are smooth on their inner edges.

.every other tooth, and said teeth are equally spaced apart. The projections on the members f and 44 are likewise formed to provide the recesses 53 and 50, so that the projections on the clutch-plates may intermesh withthe projections on said cooperating members. The gear-teeth are of the usual gear tooth formation in that their contact faces are curved from the base to the end thereof, and when the projections on each element intermesh,'it will be observed that the contactfaces thereof have different curvatures, so that a limited contact is obtained, or in other words, the engaging-portions of the contact faces extend only for a portion of their length as contrasted to extending throughout their length. By so forming the contact faces of the projections on the plates and cooperating or supporting members, it will be seen that the clutch-plates willhave a tendency to become centered with respect' ed. The necessary play of the interfittingj teeth of the plates and cooperating parts permits the plates to drop slightly when idle, and by reason of the teeth formation initial strain on the plates causes the plates to rise and ride on their tooth formation, until each tooth throughout the series has the same bearing effect. This is readily apparent from the form of the teeth, as the curvedformation insures this tendency to self-centering.

It is of course to be understood that any desirable means may be employed for forcing the clutch-plates into frictional clutch cooperation with each other and for relievung such pressure to permit separation of theplates, the means employed in the present instance being illustrated to include a wall f, of the member f, and awall of the member 03, and means whereby the wall f, may be moved axially to force the clutchplates into frictional engaging position or to free them of such pressure to permit their independent movement as is necessary in the operation of the clutch.

I claim 1. A clutch plate and its cooperating member and intermeshing projections on each element, contact faces of said projections having different curvatures whereby a limited contact between the projections is obtained.

2. A clutch plate and its cooperating member and intermeshin projections on each element, said projectlons having con tact-faces with engaging-portions extending for a portion only of their length, whereby a limited contact between the projections is obtained.

3. A clutch plate and its cooperating member and numerous intermeshing pro ections on each element, the contact faces of said projections having curvatures with engagingportions extending for a portion only of their length, which admit of the clutchplates becoming self-centered, and all of the projections thereof brought into engaging relation with projections on the cooperating member.

4. A clutch including a plurality of annular clutch-plates arranged for axial movement, a cooperating member slidably supporting said plates, and intermeshing projections on each element, said projections having contact-faces with engaging-portions extending for a portion only oftheir length, whereby a limited contact between the projections is obtained.

5. A clutch including a plurality of an nular clutch-plates, two cooperating members, one slidably supporting some of said plates, and the other slidably supporting the remainder of said plates, and intermeshing projections on the clutch-plates and their supports, said projections having contactfaces with engaging-portions extending for a portion only of their length, whereby limited contact is obtained.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY A. TUTTLQE.

Witnesses:

B. J. NOTES, H. B. DAVIS. 

